Man punched in Sassari by three unknown assailants, suffering a fractured jaw. His father claims the attack was for refusing a cigarette.

Senseless violence in Sassari . Last night at 9:30 PM, a 19-year-old was attacked from behind by three unknown assailants near Via Kennedy in the Latte Dolce neighborhood.

"He had put the key in the gate of the house and they asked him for a cigarette," the young man's father reports. "As soon as he said no, they hit him."

A punch from the left knocked out two of his teeth, and a punch from the right shattered his jaw. He suffered five compound fractures, and on Monday he will undergo maxillofacial surgery to repair them.

The brutal act wasn't followed by a robbery, the theft of his cell phone and wallet, but "only" the destruction of the headphones he was carrying. "For them, it was pure fun," says the father, deeply shaken, who recalls that his son had never seen any of the three before. "We feel destroyed inside," he comments. Meanwhile, the Carabinieri are investigating the incident.